I feel compelled to speak up for my Wiccan friends. OK, I don’t have any Wiccan friends, but Halloween used to be a religious holiday–Samhain, in the old Celtic religion. Its original name in Christianity was All Hallows Eve, when evil spirits roamed about before being vanquished on All Saints Day.

Now it’s mostly the occasion for parties on or around the day, and closely controlled trick-or-treating. It’s a time for innocent (or not so innocent) fun. Still, Halloween should not become the only weekend-mandated holiday. That establishes a really bad precedent. Do you want St. Patrick’s Day to become a Saturday-only holiday? How about the Fourth of July?

Stand up, citizens of Connecticut, and quash this idea before it spreads! And a Happy Halloween to all!